BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY PARKS
Rendering of Falcon Hill National Aerospace Research Park, Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
The Business & Technology Parks program works with public and private partners to provide the physical locations where the state’s industry clusters can co-locate, collaborate and innovate. A recent report by Battelle emphasizes the importance of research and innovation centers to economic development: “Research parks are emerging as strong sources of entrepreneurship, talent, and economic competitiveness for regions, states, and nations. They have become a key element in the infrastructure supporting the growth of today’s knowledge economy. By providing a location in which researchers and companies operate in close proximity, research parks create an environment that fosters collaboration and innovation and promotes the development, transfer, and commercialization of technology.1” There are other benefits, too. As we promote new business and technology centers for the state, we can help reduce the need for new infrastructure. Access to light rail and commuter rail, and a location that will not require major new roads are key factors as we work to cluster our employment into regional nodes that reduce commuting costs, travel times and pollution. Currently, over 300,000 people nationwide work in 134 university research parks alone. If we add in those working in major tech commercialization parks drawing upon industry clusters and university research, the number climbs to well over one million. For the future, nationwide, tech parks are transforming from stand-alone office parks to mixed-use centers that serve as a key tool of economic development, with a full range of office types – from incubators, to labs and light industrial, in addition to the typical Class A office space – in addition to housing and retail – that serve both research and a wide range of industry needs. The state is ahead of this trend, and is working on several tech centers that will continue the tradition of the state’s first research park, the University of Utah’s Research Park, in serving as centers of innovation and excellence. Falcon Hill National Aerospace Research Park Last year, GOED partnered with the Air Force, Utah Defense Alliance (UDA), Military Installation Development Authority (MIDA), Hill Air Force Base and other interested parties in producing a major win for the State as the Falcon Hill National Aerospace Research Park project got off the ground. 1 Characteristics and Trends in North American Research Parks: 21st Century Directions, Battelle Memorial Institute, 2007, pp vii.
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Governor’s Office of Economic Development • Annual Report 2008
